When The Winds Change Part 1
by TomcatGM
Summary: Harm and Mac decide on their future together.
1. Chapter 1

When the Winds Change Part I

Disclaimer: All I own is an empty water bottle. So sue me. I dare you.

A/N #1: Picks up right – literally – where FWAFS left off.

A/N #2: This is basically all the background needed for the action-y stuff later on in parts 2 and 3, so please, just bear with it.

Time seemed to slow down to a near standstill as the Admiral's JAG coin flipped over and over again through the air.

Harm gave Mac a squeeze where he had his arm around her waist. "No regrets," he said confidently with a smile so only she could hear.

Mac grinned back. "No regrets," she whispered back. The coin landed with a soft jingle onto the floor.

Bud had the goofiest grin on his face as he bent down and said, "The coin has landed heads. Captain Rabb wins the toss."

Mac leaned up to kiss Harm on the cheek then turned to find everyone still standing there speechless. "General, you'll have my request for resignation on your desk first thing in the morning."

"After lunch would be better, Colonel. I'll need time to make some arrangements."

Mac was instantly suspicious, but simply nodded and acknowledged his order with a "Yes, sir." The song on the jukebox ended and a new one switched on.

Harm gently turned Mac back toward him and said, "May I have this dance?"

"You may." Harm held his hand out, and the couple moved out onto the dance floor beginning to slowly sway to Frank Sinatra's 'Nice 'n' Easy.'

The rest of the gang took their seats at the bar. It was several seconds before anyone spoke. The General finally broke the silence, "Did anyone know about this?"

"I wouldn't have thought they'd get together in a million years, let alone ten, sir," Coates offered.

"Commander Turner?"

"Honestly, sir, I was wondering if hell just froze over." The group chuckled and glanced over their shoulders to catch a glimpse at the new couple, obviously enjoying each other's company if the way they were looking at each other was any indication.

"They're so cute," Harriet gushed and Jennifer nodded in agreement, eliciting another chuckle from the group.

"Cute, Petty Officer?" The General asked sarcastically.

"Yes, sir, cute. I've never seen them look at each other that way before. And just look at the way they're holding each other. You'd think they'd never touched before."

"They haven't," Bud interjected.

"I beg your pardon?" the General asked, twisting sharply in his chair. "You mean to tell me that after all this time they never once…"

"Not once, sir. I'm certain of it."

A new song started and the couple continued dancing. Harm and Mac hadn't said much during the first song, instead simply enjoying each other's company.

"Mac?"

"Hmm?" she replied, lifting her cheek off of his chest. The almost nervous look on his face got her instantly worried. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing! Nothing's wrong I just…" He trailed off and Mac realized this was not a good time to interrupt with some snarky remark. This was obviously important. "I was serious. I don't want you to regret this."

She gave him a soft smile, touched that he was so concerned about her feelings. This would definitely be easy to get used to. "Harm, the only thing I would regret is not taking a chance on us." She paused. "Why? Trying to talk me out of my decis-"

Harm cut off her last sentence with a light, but intimate kiss to her lips. "Of course not. I am positive I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want you to be sure that's all." He put a finger to her lips as she started to respond. "There's no pressure here, Mac. If you need time to think, just tell me. I'll understand."

Mac cocked her head and grinned. "How long have you been rehearsing that?"

Harm laughed out loud, causing the others at the bar to glance over and smile. "Since the minute you left my apartment, so you tell me."

"One hour, thirty-seven minutes, and forty-one seconds."

"How do you _do_ that?"

"If you're good I might tell you."

"If I'm good huh?" He kissed her again. "How good?"

"What was it you were saying about being sure?"

Harm kissed her again. "Are you?" Harm stopped, their lips inches apart.

"I'm positive," Mac echoed his words back to him.

"In that case," he grinned widely, leaned in, and finished the kiss. The song ended and a faster one took its place, so the couple headed back to join their friends at the bar.

An hour later, the group had eaten and enjoyed each other's company, including two new arrivals, the General's wife Dora, and Varese. Joanna put some tables together for them so they could all sit together, and the group was now chatting happily in the corner of the restaurant.

As everyone laughed at a joke Bud had just finished telling, Mac glanced over at Harm and noticed him checking his watch for the third time in twenty minutes. As her luck would have it, another slow song started playing.

"Dance with me," she whispered as she stood up and took his hand in hers, leading him on to the dance floor. "Okay sailor," she started once they were swaying to the music, "It's five minutes and forty-three seconds since the last time you checked your watch. Am I boring you?" she teased.

Harm gave her a light kiss on the forehead. "Absolutely not." He flashed her a crooked smile. "I hope you know by now that you do anything but bore me."

"What's up?"

"I haven't talked to Mattie since early this morning. I was expecting her to call." He paused. "You know, Mac, we haven't really talked about Mattie and…us." He smiled. " I know you want kids, but we never talked about adopting a teenager."

"Mattie and I got a lot closer when you went to do your field quals. She's a great kid Harm."

Harm was silent for a moment, not wanting to speak yet in case Mac had something else to add. "Is there a 'but' in there?"

Mac chuckled. "No. She's obviously going to have a tough time for a while. I think it's good that now we can both be there for her."

"A female role model would be great for her, especially right now. I mean, Jen's great but…I don't know, I guess I think it's good she'll have a more mature role model." Harm gave himself a mental pat on the back for not saying the word older. "What do you mean you two got closer?"

"She came to JAG while you were out doing your F-18 quals."

"Mattie. Came to JAG."

Mac smiled. "Yup."

"Was everything okay?"

"She was fine. She was worried about _you_ actually."

Harm immediately stopped dancing. "_Me_?"

Mac got them moving again. "Yes, you. She was a little concerned about how…seemingly easily you handled the custody hearing before you left."

"Oh."

"We chatted for a little while, she realized everything was fine, and it was. Jen and I took her to the mall a few times after that."

"She never said anything."

"Girls have secrets, Harm."

Harm smirked. "So I've discovered," he said with a twinkle in his eye.

"Are Mattie's doctor's optimistic?"

"Her specialist said she's got a 90 recovery rate or higher." He smirked again. "That's higher than my doctor gave me after my ramp strike, and I managed to make a complete recovery. I think she'll be just fine."

"You were hurt that badly?"

Harm nodded. "Yeah. I was in rehab for a little over a year."

"That long?"

"We punched out twenty feet above the deck. Neither of our chutes deployed fully. Both of my legs were broken and I had a compression injury to my spine. I woke up in traction. I didn't spend the whole time in the hospital though. Once I was able to walk again I went back to school and did a lot of my therapy in between classes on an outpatient basis." Harm paused. "I never told you that did I?"

"No, but then again I never asked. I could tell it wasn't something you wanted to talk about."

"I don't mind so much anymore. The, uh, the nightmares about the crash are a lot less frequent now…and I have better memories of flying to replace the more ugly ones with."

All the pieces instantly fell together in Mac's mind. That certainly explained a lot. "Is that why you went back to flying? To get rid of the nightmares?"

"That was a huge part of the reason. Now I really like that I can just enjoy flying because I _can_." Harm paused. "I am a little worried about how Mattie's going to handle this…psychologically, I mean. She was pretty upset at me for trying to cover up her dad's drinking again when she first woke up…I don't know…"

"Don't doubt yourself. You're right. She'll get through this. We'll help her together. You and me."

The song was about to end, so Harm pushed Mac away from him in a spinning twist, and then pulled her back in close, smiling. "Say that again."

"You and me," Mac said, slightly breathless.

Harm reached down and grabbed Mac's leg behind the knee and leaned forward, dipping her and pulling her leg through the long slit in her dress. After a kiss to which half the bar whooped, whistled, and hollered at, he said, "I like the sound of that."

A/N: Okay, so I realize not a lot happened in this chapter. Unfortunately, the only way this story would work as a whole was to give a metric ton of details of how Harm and Mac got to London and their situation once they were there. Just bear with it for a bit.


	2. Chapter 2

1057 Zulu

Harm's Apartment

North of Union Station

Mac awoke to the sound of packing tape being pulled and then ripped off its roll. Pulling the sheets back, she grabbed her white lace nightgown off a box by the closet and slipped it on. She found Harm in the living room repacking a box and then taping it shut again. What surprised her was that he was already freshly shaven, his hair was gelled and spiked neatly, and he was fully dressed in his dress whites…and it wasn't even six o'clock yet. His back was to her, so he didn't see her come in.

"What's the occasion?" Mac asked, watching as he suddenly tensed and turned around slowly. She didn't, however, see him slip something small and black into his pocket.

"Good morning," Harm walked over, picked Mac up at the waist, twirled her around, and kissed her passionately on the lips. "The occasion," he said before kissing her again, "Is I am taking my breathtaking fiancé out to breakfast," he flashed her his heart-stopping smile, "because she spent the night with me."

Mac laughed. "I can't believe you remembered that…I hate to disappoint you, but I didn't bring anything that fancy with me to wear today."

Harm chuckled. "That's okay. I'm overdressed for where we're going anyway."

"And where would that be?"

Harm glanced down nervously, which Mac realized was so unlike him. "It's a surprise."

"Harm, you're leaving the country in less than three hours. There's only so many-"

"Actually, I called the airport this morning, and there's another flight leaving for London at 17:10 tonight, so I changed my ticket." He glanced at his watch, "And we need to leave in thirty-two minutes, is that enough time?"

"More than enough," she eyed him suspiciously. "How long have you been up this morning?"

"Do you mind if we stop and see Mattie today too? I was worried about leaving before we got a ruling from the court, and she didn't call last night, but now since you're going to-"

Mac gave him a soft, sympathetic smile as she put a finger over his lips. He stopped talking. "You didn't sleep at all did you?"

Harm gave her a mischievous grin and shook his head 'no'.

Mac moved her hand to his cheek. "We were up so late; you must be exhausted."

"I was laying down for almost four hours. I'm okay. I'll have ten hours to sleep on the plane."

"I guess I need to work harder to wear you out next time huh?"

Harm pulled her in close, and spoke in a soft, gentle tone. "Mac, last night was without a doubt the most incredible night of my life. _You_ were incredible. Believe me, it's not that I wasn't tired."

Mac smirked. "What'd you do then, force yourself to stay awake?" Harm glanced down. "Harm?"

"I, uh, never mind. You'll think it's stupid."

"Maybe. But that doesn't mean I don't want to know."

Harm laughed. "I'll tell you after your surprise I promise."

About twenty minutes later, Harm and Mac headed down to the car. Reaching into his pocket, Harm pulled out a handkerchief and folded it neatly to create a makeshift blindfold.

"If you think I'm wearing that, you're insane."

Harm mustered up the most-sad-puppy-dog face he could. "Please?…trust me, Mac."

And she did trust him, so she decided to be a good sport. As Mac put the bandana on, she realized she'd have to strengthen her resolve if she was going to be able to resist that look again. Mac calculated from the time it took them to get to their destination that they must still be in downtown D.C.

Harm pulled the car up to the security gate and put his finger to his lips, indicating that the guard should please be quiet. The guard smiled and nodded. He checked the names on the two sets of I.D. that Harm handed him to a list on his clipboard. Finding a match, he waved them through. Harm followed the drive and eventually parked at the curb.

He helped Mac out of the car and led her over to the open gate at a brick wall lined with rose bushes. Standing in front of her, he gently reached around to untie the blindfold. Harm pulled the small black box out of his pocket and knelt down in front of her on one knee.

It only took Mac a second to figure out they were in a rose garden…The White House rose garden…At the exact spot where they met…at sunrise no less. As she looked down to find Harm on one knee opening a black velvet ring box, her jaw dropped. Even after all these years, she didn't know Harmon Rabb Jr. could be this romantic. It suddenly occurred to her that she never directly answered him when he proposed the night before.

Harm patiently gave her a minute to collect herself after taking the blindfold off. When she finally looked down he spoke. "Sarah, will you marry me?"

"Yes. Harm, yes."

He stood up and gently slid the ring on her finger and gave her a soft kiss before offering her his elbow. "We have time for a walk if you'd like."

Mac nodded, too overwhelmed to do anything else, and hooked her arm in his. She pulled her hand up to admire her new ring. It fit perfectly, and had a gold band with a large diamond set in the middle. Surrounding it were two other stones, a sapphire on the right and an emerald on the left.

"Do you like it?"

"I love it. It's beautiful." She paused. "You didn't just run out and buy this yesterday, did you?"

"No. I couldn't find one like that, so I designed it myself and had it custom made. I wanted to get you a diamond, but I thought it'd be nice if the Navy and the Marine Corps were represented somehow too since that's why we met, so I added the other stones.

Mac leaned up as they walked and kissed him on the cheek. "You did good, sailor." She chuckled. "Is this what made you nervous this morning?"

Harm nodded. "Oh my gosh, yes. I set the ring aside so I wouldn't pack it by mistake. So of course, I packed it by mistake. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to find it before you woke up." They both walked in silence for a moment, watching the sky turn from a purple and rose color to different shades of orange. "Go ahead and ask." He grinned.

Mac sighed and smiled. "How long have you had the ring, Harm?"

"I ordered it a week after the Jagathon."

Mac stopped dead in her tracks and pulled Harm's elbow so hard he spun around in front of her. "That was over three _years_ ago!"

"Three years, 5 months, and 14 days." At the surprised look he was receiving he added, "I checked the calendar yesterday," he added sheepishly.

Mac did a quick mental calculation. "That was right after you broke up with Renee."

"It was."

"But…but…you've…"

Mac didn't have to finish the sentence. He knew where she was going with it anyway. Harm was floored, the shock apparent on his face. Mac thought she saw a flicker of hurt in his eyes, but it disappeared almost immediately. "You're the only person I've been with since then, Mac," he said softly.

All the looks he'd cast her and intimate moments they'd shared in the last few years suddenly took on a whole new meaning. All of the doubts she'd been harboring for the last year fell away instantly. "I'm sorry."

Harm looked confused. "What for?"

"I misjudged you. More than once," she told him as images of Catherine Gayle and Alicia Montez flashed unbidden through her mind. "And I pushed you away because of it."

Harm took her hands in his. "I thought we talked about this. Everything that's happened before is all past. _All_ past. Let's just concentrate on the future. Together."

Mac smiled. "I, ah, I don't know what to say."

Harm shrugged and grinned. "You could tell me you love me?"

"I love you."

"I know." Harm grunted as Mac punched him in the arm.

1408 Zulu

Blacksburg Hospital

Blacksburg, Virginia

"Rise and shine squirt!"

"Ugh, Harm…the sun's not even up yet."

"It's been up for two and a half hours Mattie." Harm chuckled at the audible and overly dramatic sigh. "You didn't call last night."

"Oh my gosh. Harm, I'm so sorry. My therapist was here for a while…making me move my fingers." She paused, and while Harm noticed the improvement in her speech, he also realized she was still having difficulty with longer sentences. "See." Mattie demonstrated by slowly wiggling her fingers on top of her blanket.

"Wow!" Harm leaned over and kissed her forehead. "That's great sweetheart."

"No, it's not…I was exhausted yesterday."

"Hey. Give yourself a break. I know you want to just hop out of bed and go play volleyball, and you will. Just be patient, and yes I do understand that's the hardest thing to ask of you right now."

"I guess I can try."

"That's my girl. Hey, you sound a lot better today."

"I never thought I'd have to practice talking."

Harm chuckled. "Well, I have bad news, good news, and excellent news. What would you like to hear first?"

Another deep sigh. "Bad news."

"You remember I have to leave for London today, so I won't see you for at least a couple weeks."

"Yeah that does suck…wait…you're leaving…then what's the good news?"

"Your social worker just called right before we got here. The court granted my emergency request for sole custody. Everything's just a formality now, so we're just waiting on some paper work. I'll go to the courthouse later this morning and take care of it."

"That's great…Harm?...You said adoption this time, right?"

"Yep. Instead of just being your guardian, I'll be your legal father. That's still okay right?"

"More than okay." A tear slipped down her cheek and she added softly, "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome. Your dad will only be allowed supervised visitation and only if you and I both say it's okay."

Mattie nodded. "He can't drive down the road to visit me in the hospital. He's not going to cross an ocean. All right. Now…what's the excellent news?"

"Just a second." Harm went to the door and stuck his head out. Mattie couldn't hear what he said, but she was pleasantly surprised when Mac followed him back into the room.

"Hi Mac."

"Hi sweetheart. It's so good to see you."

Harm scratched his head unsure of how to start. "Mattie, you know how you asked when we were going to add a Mrs. Harm to the family?"

Mattie nodded and looked at him thoughtfully. Then it clicked. "No…way."

"Mac and I are getting married."

"I thought you said it was complicated?"

Mac raised a questioning eyebrow at Harm, who squirmed slightly. "Well, it was. I mean, it used to be."

"He loves you, you know," Mattie said boldly to Mac. Harm's ears turned red.

"Yeah, I know." They all smiled.

"So are you both leaving today?"

"Nope," Mac answered. "I'm going to stay here with you until you're ready to travel, and then we'll both go to London together."

"Where exactly are we going to go?"

"They have family housing on the base, so we'll be there temporarily when you guys first arrive until we find something together that we all like."

"With a yard."

Harm smiled. "Yeah. With a yard."

"And a dog."

"I did promise you a dog didn't I?"

"Does Mac like dogs?"

"I love dogs."

"Sweet."

Mattie let out a huge yawn, just as her nurse came in. After an emotional goodbye, with Mac promising to be back soon, Harm and Mac headed back to D.C.

On the way out to the parking lot Harm asked Mac the question that had been weighing on his mind for the last few hours. "Hey Mac? Do you…do you mind if we call my parents?"

Mac laughed. "I can't believe we didn't call already. Why didn't you call sooner, I didn't even think of it."

"I didn't think they'd believe me unless you were there."

"Harm, I've never met your parents, I don't know if…are you sure you don't want to talk to them yourself first?"

"I'm sure. They're in Venice right now. I'm sure I'll see them in a few days. Besides, the first thing they're going to do is tell me to put you on the phone."

"Wait a minute. They're in Venice? I thought they lived somewhere in California."

"They do. In La Jolla. My mom's art gallery is there. They go to Europe for a month every spring.

"Oh." A random statistic that La Jolla was in the county that had the highest cost of living in the United States floated into Mac's mind and she felt a knot start forming in her stomach.

"Mac relax. My mom's been dying to meet you for years." They made their way over to the outdoor garden at the hospital and sat down on a bench. Harm pulled out his cell phone and found the number he needed, pressed the call button and turned on the speakerphone.

"Cell phone?"

"No, Frank owns a villa in the city. I'll try his cell if they're not there."

The knot in Mac's stomach got a little bigger. Since she didn't have a family to speak of, meeting her future in-laws hadn't been something she'd given much thought to until now.

Hola

"Hi Maria, it's Harm. Are mom and dad around?"

Harm! Hola! Como estas muchacho?

"I am absolutely perfect Maria."

Bueno, bueno! Uno momento muchacho.

Harm and Mac heard the click as the phone was put on hold.

"Now I know where you learned to speak such good Spanish."

Harm?

"Hey Frank!"

How's everything going with the transfer?

"Great. I'm leaving D.C. this evening around five. Listen, Frank, is mom with you?"

Of course. She's right here, Harm, just a minute.

"No, that's okay Frank. Can you just put the speakerphone on?"

Sure. There were a few muffled noises, a click, and then Trish came on the line.

Harm, darling! How are you?

The greeting caused Harm to feel his ears getting red again. Mac stifled a giggle. "I'm great mom, how are you?"

I'm wonderful. I've already booked a suite in London for next week, so we'll stop in and see you as soon as you're settled.

"That's great Mom. You didn't have to do that."

Of course we did. Now how are things at JAG? Did you make all your staffing decisions?

"It's good. I'm still looking for three or four officers, but I want to wait and get settled at the new office before I decide who will stay and who I need to cut orders for."

Sounds like a good decision Frank piped up. There was the slightest of pauses.

How's Mac? Trish ventured.

Harm blushed furiously this time, and Mac couldn't stop the laugh. "She's good, but you can ask her yourself. She's right here."

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Burnett."

Mac hello! But please, it's Trish and Frank.

"All right, thank you."

To what do we owe this pleasant surprise? Trish asked politely, saying a silent prayer to God that her son didn't get someone pregnant out of wedlock. It had certainly never been a problem before, but Harm had never just put one of his girlfriend's on the phone with them before either.

"Well, ah, um, I proposed to Mac last night, and she excepted; we're engaged." There was a considerable pause. "Mom?"

Harm would you mind repeating that?

Mac answered instead, "Last night, Harm proposed and I said yes. This morning he took me to the White House Rose Garden where we first met at sunrise and gave me the most beautiful ring I've ever seen."

That sounds very romantic, Frank said, getting over the shock first. Trish swayed slightly on her feet and he reached out quickly to put an arm around her waist. She found her voice a few seconds later.

Do you have any immediate plans? She didn't really think her son would have a quickie wedding at city hall, but he'd just proved how unpredictable he could be yet again.

"Not as far as the wedding is concerned," Harm started.

"But I'm going to stay in D.C. with Mattie until she's ready to travel," Mac added.

"So it will probably be at least a month until we're all in London," Harm finished.

Harm and Mac's ability to finish each other's sentences snapped Trish fully back into the conversation. I'm so happy for you both. Congratulations sweetheart.

"Thanks, Mom."

Mac, dear, how long do two think you'll be in Washington?

"Unfortunately, we can't put an exact number on it right now. It really depends on how quickly Mattie recovers."

Frank, when we leave in a few weeks, why don't we stop in Washington? Would that be all right with you Mac?

Mac glanced nervously at Harm, but managed to respond with a fair amount of confidence in her voice. "Yeah, that'd be great. I'll look forward to it."

Well, Harm, I'm sure you've got a lot to do before you leave so we'll talk later. Tell Mattie we said hello, Frank said.

"Of course."

I'm so glad you called dear. Take care of yourself.

"Bye."

Goodbye, Echoed from the two voices on the other line.

Harm turned to Mac as they headed for the car. "Now that wasn't so bad was it?"

"It could have been worse, I guess."

"Mac, my parents love you already. I promise. Look, I'll fly back with them from London for the weekend and I'm sure Frank will take us all out to dinner."

"Harm, don't be ridiculous. By the time you got here you'd have to turn around and leave."

"You're forgetting," he said, kissing her softly, "That we'll have been apart for two whole weeks by then." He helped Mac into the Vette and hopped in on the other side.

Mac smiled. "I can definitely get used to this thoughtful and romantic side of you. How is it I never knew it even existed until now?"

"Because I never let you know…especially when you'd show affection and I'd give you the cold shoulder." Harm glanced back at the hospital building. Mac understood what he wasn't saying.

"The other day when I came to visit Mattie, and you asked me to leave."

"Yeah…I…Just…don't know how to explain it."

Mac's look turned serious. "I'd like you to try. I want to understand. It was pretty obvious you were hurting, and you know I can't stand it when you are."

"Yeah, I know." Harm thought for a moment, his hands resting on the steering wheel. "I was really upset, Mac. I _couldn't_ lean on you. I think deep down I knew the comfort would just be temporary, and that wasn't enough for me. I wasn't willing to deal with that emotionally on top of everything else. And…it felt too good. I didn't have the energy to hold back and stay in control like I have always promised myself I would with you…until now that is." He turned to face her. "Does that make sense?"

"It does, I just wish I would have been able to convince you that you _can_ lose control with me. I don't want you to hold anything back."

"I know," Harm picked up Mac's left hand and fingered her ring. "But I also know that I can always count on you to be there, and I don't have to hold back anymore. Everything's changed and I couldn't be happier about that."

Lightening what had turned into a serious moment, Mac quipped, "That was a pretty deep conversation, sailor."

Harm chuckled. "There's plenty more where that came from."

"I'll look forward to it."

"Me too."


	3. Chapter 3

LATER THAT AFTERNOON ZULU

DULLES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

After another emotional goodbye, Mac waved as Harm passed through security before heading to the lounge to wait for his plane. She headed back to her car and made her way to JAG headquarters. Jennifer had called early in the afternoon saying the General would like her to meet him for dinner at the JAG dining room if she was available.

Mac arrived a few minutes early, so she went upstairs to say goodbye to Bud before he left for the day. She found him at his desk quite literally buried in paperwork. She knocked on the doorframe. "Long day, Commander?"

"Ma'am!" Bud exclaimed and practically leaped off his chair to greet her.

"For crying out loud, Bud, I'm resigning in less than an hour. Call me Mac, or Sarah if you'd rather."

Bud grinned. "You know it's not that easy, right ma'am?"

Mac glanced at the mountain of files on Bud's desk. "You got buried when we left didn't you?" she asked sympathetically.

"Pretty much, ma'am. But the Captain gave me a lot of good cases, some of them more high profile, so it's all right. Is he on his way to London already?"

"I put Harm safely on a plane twenty-seven minutes ago." Mac smirked.

"What ma'am?" Bud inquired about the pensive look Mac had on her face.

She smiled. "I don't think I've ever used those words together in a sentence before."

Bud shot her a confused look. "What words, ma'am?"

"Harm, safely, and plane."

Bud laughed heartily at that and waved Coates in when he saw her approaching. "He's gotten better ma'am."

"It has been a full two years since he's crashed a plane, hasn't it?" Mac quipped.

"Hasn't it been four ma'am?"

"Oh, no. It was definitely two." She paused and chuckled to herself. "That's right. You guys don't know about that one." Mac glanced at both of them as she elaborated. "Most of what happened was classified, but Harm and I were shot down in a biplane in Paraguay."

Silence reigned.

Coates gulped. "Shot down, ma'am?"

"We, uh, _borrowed _a plane, and when we found the bad guys Harm had to drop down pretty low to take them out. We got hit by small arms fire."

"Wow," was the only thing Bud could say.

"I knew I had a bad feeling about him going after you, ma'am."

"Jen, _everyone_ had a bad feeling about him going after the Colonel."

"What do you mean, Bud?"

"He was a total wreck before he left to find you, ma'am. It was obvious he wasn't sleeping at all. Harriet noticed he wasn't eating anything at the office. It was weird, ma'am. It was like he knew you and Mr. Webb were in trouble before the Admiral even told him you were missing."

"It just got worse after that," Coates chipped in. "He slammed his door so hard after meeting with the Admiral I thought the glass was going to break."

"I knew things were rocky, but I had no idea things were _that_ tense at the office," Mac said. "It couldn't have been worse than the last few weeks with Mattie being in the hospital."

"I don't know, ma'am," Coates replied, "I think Captain Rabb was a lot calmer this time. More…in control."

Mac smiled sadly. "He's changed a lot in the last two years."

"I'm just glad he found you ma'am. Losing you would have been just awful, and I don't think anyone was prepared for dealing with a grieving Commander Rabb."

Mac grinned. "He is a bit of a bear when he's upset."

"Speaking of bears when they're upset ma'am, the General wanted me to tell you he's on the phone with the Sec Nav, but he'll meet you downstairs by quarter after."

"Thanks Jen. He's in a bad mood?"

"He wasn't before the Sec Nav called and interrupted his dinner plans, ma'am."

"I'd better get going then. Bud, I'll be spending most days with Mattie, but if you need to discuss a case just let me know. We can meet over dinner if you want."

"That'd be great, ma'am, thanks."

Mac was waiting at a table for only five minutes when General Cresswell arrived. They ordered their entrees and the waiter scurried off.

"I trust you had a very busy day, Colonel."

"Very, sir. What can I do for you?"

"You can stay in the Marine Corps." He held up his hand to ward off the remark already poised on Mac's lips. "What if I told you I found you a billet in London?"

"I'm listening, sir." Mac leaned forward in her chair.

"Good. The military attaché at the American Embassy in London has been requesting a legal aide for months now. I couldn't spare the personnel. You won't be in a courtroom, but I can guarantee the work will be challenging, Colonel. I understand you've had experience giving legal advice at an embassy overseas?"

"Um, yes, sir…but that wasn't exactly an experience I'd like to repeat."

Cresswell chuckled. "Mac, relax. I'm not sending you into a war zone. You'll be legal advisor to Colonel Phillips, in house only. No special assignments unless you volunteer."

"I can't say I'd be very likely to do _that_ again."

"You'll consider this then?"

"Absolutely, sir." There was a brief silence as the waiter arrived with their meals. "Sir? Would this be a full time position?"

"If you want it to be that could certainly be arranged."

Mac thought for a moment as she dug into her chicken caesar salad. "I don't know, sir, that's the problem."

"Go on."

"Mattie's still in recovery sir. She will be for quite some time. I'm not sure Harm and I can both work full time right now until she's able to do some things on her own. I guess my point is I'd like to talk to Harm about it first, sir."

"By all means, Colonel…How's Mattie doing now?"

Mac gave a soft smile. "Better. She's awake and alert. It'll take a while before she gets her mobility back."

"Not if she has a Marine in her corner."

"That's the battle plan, sir."

"Tell me, Colonel, would you consider working part-time?"

"Of course I'll consider it, sir…General, why is it so important to you that I stay in the Corps?"

"Mac, you're a good officer. You have a skill set unlike any other in my chain of command. Colonel Phillips has been bugging me about finding a competent officer to fill this position for months. You're an excellent lawyer, you have the language skills the job requires, and should you get sent out into the field for whatever reason, I'm confident you've got a good enough head on your shoulders that you won't get it blown off. I honestly think this is a good opportunity for you."

Mac let that sink in a moment before answering. "I appreciate that, sir. Thank you…When do you need an answer?"

"By the end of the week would be appreciated, but I don't want to rush your decision either. Discuss it with Captain Rabb and let me know."

"Sir, should Harm get transferred back to the states, would I be able to transfer back as well?"

"I'm sure I could find some trouble for you to get into around here."


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Hey all! I was totally blown away by all the kind reviews. To be honest I wasn't even sure anyone was going to read this...at any rate, I'm glad you like it. I realize posting at 3 AM is a bit unfair, but there's only two chapters left, so I posted them both. Happy reading. Thanks again. Oh. I'm not sure I mentioned this: this is a three part story. Maybe four. But for sure three. And I PROMISE, the second part of the story is way better. (At least I think so.) So hang in there; it'll be up soon. TomcatGM

--

Harm's cell phone started ringing just as he grabbed his suitcases off the turnstile at the baggage claim. Moving quickly off to the side and away from the onslaught of people grabbing for their bags, he flipped open his cell phone.

"Rabb."

"Hey, sailor."

"Mac! Hey! I wasn't expecting to hear from you for hours. What are you doing up, it's almost four in the morning there."

"Waiting for your plane to land. How was your flight?"

"Long, but restful. I slept almost the whole time. I was going to call when we landed, but I didn't want to wake you."

"Harm, next time, please call. I like to know when your feet are back on solid ground."

Harm chuckled. After everything they'd been through, he couldn't exactly fault her for that. "Sure, Mac. I can do that."

"Harm, I know you're really busy right now, but can you talk for a few minutes?"

He was about to tell her he'd call her back as soon as he could find a nice quiet lounge in the airport when he saw Lieutenant Graves approaching him at warp speed with a huge grin on her face. "My escort just got here. I'm afraid I've got a female version of Bud on my hands."

"What?"

"Lieutenant Graves."

"I thought you said you ordered everyone to transfer next week?"

"I did…Mac, give me just a minute, I'll call you right back I promise."

"Promise?"

"Five minutes, Mac, I swear….I love you."

"I love you too."

As he shut the phone, he greeted his new officer. "Good morning Lieutenant. I hope you're here to keep me from getting lost."

"Good morning Captain! Yes, sir, I am. General Cresswell thought it would be a good idea if I came ahead early and got things organized for you. I've got a room reserved for you in family housing on base."

Harm just nodded, trying to keep up.

"The rest of your belongings are scheduled to arrive on Monday, except your car. I don't have an ETA on that yet, sir, but I'll let you know as soon as I do. Let me help you with your bags, sir. I've got a car waiting to take you to your quarters. It'll only take about thirty minutes to get there." She grabbed one of his suitcases and started walking. "Petty Officer Coates recommend family housing, so that's what I booked, sir, but if you'd rather be in the B.O.Q. sir, I could…"

"No, no. Family housing is perfect, they'll be joining me soon."

Harm was suddenly glad he was tall or he might have had to jog to keep up with her. Trying to pay attention to where he was going, he dug his phone out of his pocket and called Mac, telling her to go to sleep and he'd call her in about an hour when they could have a more private conversation.

"Was that your girlfriend, sir?" the Lieutenant asked.

"Fiancé, but yeah." Harm slipped into the back seat of the car a young Petty Officer was driving.

"Oh, congratulations, sir! That's wonderful! How long have you been engaged?"

Harm smiled and glanced at his watch. "About thirty hours."

"She stayed behind?"

"She'll come as soon as she can," Harm said, not offering any more on the subject. The last thing he wanted was the rumor mill at the office running before he'd even stepped foot in the building.

He did his best to pay attention as the Lieutenant droned on and on about the arrangements she had made for tomorrow, but he couldn't stop thinking about Mac. Whatever she needed to discuss with him must be incredibly important or she would have waited to call. What was really bugging him was that he couldn't pin down the emotion in her voice. That hadn't been a problem for him since the first week they met. When they'd talked he thought it was somewhere between desperate and hopeful. But the more he thought about it, the more he thought maybe it was more excitement than any thing else. Harm was abruptly ripped out of his thoughts when he realized Graves was trying to get his attention. "I'm sorry Lieutenant, I'm a little preoccupied right now," he said as they pulled up to his quarters. 'And have been for months,' he added silently to himself.

"That's all right, sir, you've had a long trip, I understand. Why don't I come back after lunch so you have a chance to get settled. Petty Officer Coates told me what kind of food you like so I stocked your fridge and your cabinets for you. Why don't I set up a tour of the base for later this afternoon? That way you can just rest tomorrow and…"

"That sounds great, Lieutenant, thanks." Harm pulled his bags through the front door and closed it behind him after saying goodbye to Graves. He would have to remind himself to try and keep her busy. Who knew what trouble she'd get into if she started finding things to do on her own?

He took a minute to walk around his new little house. "Emphasis on little," he muttered to himself. Right to the left of the front door there was a deep closet, big enough to hold his bike when it arrived. Right next to it was a decently sized bedroom with a walk in closet. The next door was a full bath, followed by another closet, which held the washer and dryer. To the right of the front door was a small kitchen with a bar that opened out to the hall and the dining room. It had a small dishwasher, a few cabinets, a full sized refrigerator and a sink.

Moving into the living room, which joined the dining room just past the serving bar from the kitchen, he found an almost new couch and recliner, a small television set, and a coffee table he was certain he'd be hitting his shins on. On the far wall was a sliding glass door, which opened up to a small patio overlooking a garden on the base. Harm moved to the door next to the laundry closet and found the master bedroom. It had its own bathroom, a huge walk-in closet, and another sliding door leading out to the patio.

Harm walked back out to the living room and plopped onto the couch. It wasn't as comfortable as the one in his apartment, but it was still pretty comfy. He pushed two on his speed dial. Mac answered on the second ring.

"Hey."

"Good morning, sunshine."

"It is now. Are you at the base already?"

"In our new cozy quarters."

"Is it nice?"

"It could be worse. Lieutenant Graves stocked the fridge and it's furnished. She made sure there were sheets on the bed and everything."

"She's efficient that's for sure."

"She even got me tofu."

Mac laughed. "Wow. That is impressive."

"My biggest problem right now is deciding which bedroom to take."

"There isn't a master bedroom?"

"There is, but I thought it might be easier for Mattie if the bathroom was closer. Now that I'm thinking about it, if we put her bed on the wall near the door, it might be closer from the other bedroom. You know. Less distance for her to walk?" Harm paced it off, and indeed found that the solution he'd come up with would work better than putting Mattie in the master bedroom. "It'll be nice for us to have more privacy anyway."

"I'll definitely look forward to that," Mac replied smiling.

"So what's up? Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine, but we do need to talk. You remember I had dinner with the General last night?"

"Of course."

"You're not gonna believe this. He offered me a billet in London so I could stay in the Marine Corps."

"Wow…that's great, Mac."

"It is?"

"Yeah." Harm paused. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"Before you left we talked about me staying home with Mattie during her recovery, and how great it was that one of us could be home with her for a while."

"Mac, I appreciate you thinking of that, and I'm sure Mattie does too, but we can work it out. How soon are you supposed to start?"

"I don't know. I haven't given the General a definite answer yet. I wanted to talk to you first and make sure we were on the same page."

"If this is what you want, you know you have my blessing…What are you going to be doing?"

"I'll be the legal advisor to Colonel Jenkins, the military attaché at the American embassy. Cresswell said I could decide if I want to stay on active duty or switch to reserve status."

"Which do you want?" There was a long pause. "Mac, the Joint Chiefs don't take this long…"

"Harm, I've been on active duty almost my entire adult life. Now that I have the choice, I'm afraid I'll be bored to tears with anything less. On the other hand, you've spent a lot more time with Mattie than I have, and it would be nice for me to be able to get to know her better and be there for her more of the time, especially since you'll be working a lot at first…I was hoping you'd have an opinion on the matter."

Harm organized his thoughts before replying. "I know Mattie would love the company and a chance for you two to get closer. I also think it's going to be more difficult for her to recognize us as her only parental authorities on matters now that her dad is out of the picture if one of us isn't around all the time…What if you only took reserve status for a few months? You and Mattie would have a chance to get to know each other better, and by the time you're ready for some more action, Mattie will be okay on her own, and you can go back to active duty."

"So you think Mattie and I need the time together?"

"No. I think your relationship will get off on the right foot if you can spend a little extra time with her right now…Do _you _think you need the time?"

"Honestly? Yes. I know how difficult it is dealing with an alcoholic father. Now that he's not going to be around, I'm afraid she'll get discouraged too easily if we don't pay enough attention to her right now. I don't want her to start drinking either. The opportunity is here, so I might as well take it…It probably wouldn't hurt to relax a little anyway."

"Mattie was really good about going to those ala-teen meetings. I don't think we need to worry about her starting to drink. But you're right; I think she'll need a little extra attention right now. I'm glad you feel the same way."

"So, you're okay with me going to reserve status?"

"Of course I'm okay with it. I want you to be happy, Mac. We were both a little reluctant to give up our careers. I can't tell you how ecstatic I am that you won't have to do that in order for us to be together." Harm paused then added, "Mac, if you'd rather stay on active duty, stay on active duty."

There was a long sigh, on the other line. "You're not making this easy, sailor."

Harm chuckled. "When have I ever made things easy for you?"

It was Mac's turn to chuckle.

"Seriously, Mac, just do what feels right."

"Being there for you and Mattie right now feels right."

"I trust your instincts as much as you do."

"I'll tell the General I'll be on active reserve status for a while after taking a few weeks off and see how things are going before switching back to active duty."

"I'm sure he'll be okay with that if he told you that you could choose."

"I'm sure he will too. He was pretty insistent I didn't resign my commission." Harm snorted. "What?"

"Nothing."

"Not nothing, what are you thinking about?"

"I was just wondering if Admiral Chegwidden were still at JAG if he would have been as generous…I think he would have."

"I think so too…I'd like to invite him to the wedding, Harm."

"Sure…Do you want him to walk you down the aisle?"

"I haven't decided yet…Anyway, that's if he doesn't have a heart attack when he finds out we're engaged."

Harm laughed. "I thought Sturgis was going to have one at McMurphy's."

"Did you two settle things before you left?"

"I think they're as settled as they're going to get."

"You guys used to be such good friends. We all did."

"Yeah…He's been there for me in the past…I don't hate him or anything…"

"But?"

"I can't just forget what happened on the Kennedy."

"I know he tried to charge you with negligent homicide."

"That wasn't all. We got into it in the JAG office. He flat out told me he wouldn't consider the context of the situation because of our history. We were arguing nose to nose. If that Iraqi officer hadn't walked in when he did, I would have decked him. I'm sure of it."

"Which only would have made things worse."

"Tell me about it. I would have been sitting in the brig instead of setting up that sting. Sturgis sure wasn't about to try that hard to prove my innocence."

"I'd convinced the General to let me defend you, but you got the charges dropped yourself before I could talk to you about it."

Harm smiled. "What are you up to for the rest of the day?"

"I was going to call for a meeting with the General, arrange for leave so we can get more organized, and go see Mattie. I might offer to work at JAG a couple days this week so poor Bud doesn't drown in case files."

"Are you going to call Coates for that meeting?"

"Yeah…"

"Convince her to come to London."

"Did she turn you down already?"

"Yeah."

"Then what makes you think she'll listen to me?"

"Marines have command presence."

"Touché."

Harm laughed as the doorbell rang. "That's probably my walking itinerary. She won't be happy I haven't eaten yet." Harm walked to the door and waved Graves inside. "You're going to stay at my apartment right?"

"Yeah, I figured I'd wrangle a few seamen to help me move out so Varese can move into mine."

"Good. I paid the rent through the end of August, and I take care of the utilities online so you won't have to worry about that either."

"Mr. Organized, as usual."

"I try…I miss you already."

Mac grinned. "Me too. I'll talk to you soon. Love you."

"Love you too." Harm shut his phone with a sigh. "Two weeks is going to be an awfully long time."

"What was that Captain?"

"Nothing. Let me eat real quick and then we'll head out." Harm took a deep breath. He'd be hard pressed to remember a time he'd ever been happier...


	5. Chapter 5

2 WEEKS LATER  
Dulles International Airport  
Washington, D.C.

Mac spotted Harm the second he walked into the baggage claim area. He spotted her just as fast and jogged over to greet her. Stepping out from behind Mattie's wheel chair, she met him in a hug, throwing her arms around his neck. Harm surprised her by lifting her slightly off the ground before relaxing the hug and setting her back down. Their lips met in a short but intimate kiss; Harm was in uniform after all.

"I missed you," they both said simultaneously.

"Well if that wasn't straight out of 'Sleepless in Seatle' I don't know what is."

Harm released his hold on Mac to greet Mattie just as his parents caught up to him. "Hey Squirt!" He enveloped her in a gentle hug. "Look at you! You look great sweetheart!" Mattie giggled as Harm spun her chair around in a donut. Standing up straight as his parents approached the group, he pulled Mac to his side in a gentle embrace. "Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet my fiancé, Sarah Mackenzie. Mac, this is Mom and Dad, Trish and Frank Burnette."

Mac stepped forward tentatively and shook hands. "It's so nice to meet you."

"Yes it is," Trish said, "I've been looking forward to this for years."

"So have I," Frank said with a charming smile.

After his parents greeted Mattie, they all headed to the car, anxious to get away from the busy airport. Harm took the opportunity to push Mattie ahead of the rest of the group and then did donuts with the chair, carefully avoiding people in the hallways, but letting Mattie have more fun than she'd had in months.

Mac couldn't help but laugh at his antics. She'd always known he had a slightly goofy side, but this was completely new to her. "They're really something aren't they?"

"Peas in a pod," Trish agreed.

"You should have seen those two on the beach last summer. Rollerblade races, surfing lessons, volleyball tournaments. It was no wonder they'd sleep ten hours every night," Frank added.

"Wait a minute…surfing lessons?"

"Once I told Mattie that Harm used to compete when he was younger, she insisted he teach her how." Frank chuckled. "Of course, Mattie's idea of convincing him to pull his surfboards out of the attic was to jump on his back with her arms around his neck and refuse to let go until he agreed."

Trish laughed. "He must have walked around the house for an hour with her just clinging to him piggyback style."

"What made him finally give in?"

"Frank said he'd buy Harm a triple scoop waffle cone at the ice cream parlor in town if he taught Mattie how to surf."

Frank gave her a mischievous grin. "Moose tracks is his biggest weakness, Mac, but you didn't hear that from me." He winked.

"Frank, I have a feeling this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship." The older couple laughed. The three of them arrived at the door leading to the parking garage where Mattie and Harm were waiting patiently. "You never told me you were a competitive surfer, Squid."

"Oh, thanks a lot you guys. I leave her alone with you for five minutes and you tell her my darkest secrets."

"And there's plenty more where that came from, darling," his mother said. Harm opened his mouth to respond, but Trish kissed his cheek and abruptly changed the subject. "Take us to dinner, Harmon, I'm absolutely starving."

HARM AND MAC'S APARTMENT  
NORTH OF UNION STATION

Harm pulled the sheets over their bodies as Mac snuggled in to sleep against his chest. She let out a peaceful sigh.

"I am not going to have any trouble getting used to this," she told him.

Harm kissed her forehead. "Hmm. I think I already am."

Mac snuggled in a little closer. "Do you really have to leave on Sunday?"

The next sigh was anything but peaceful. "Yeah…You know it's strange. I've been stationed in Washington for so long I didn't really expect to be sent overseas again. At least with the Company I could plan on traveling."

"You were gone an awful lot."

"At least once a week. I was in California a few times so I got to visit Mom and Frank. That was nice. I hadn't been out there in a while."

"Must have been hard to go without surfing for that long, huh?"

Harm laughed. "Am I ever going to live that down?"

Mac had trouble speaking coherently she was laughing so hard. "I can just picture you at thirteen with shoulder length hair in your swimming trunks."

"Have you ever been surfing?" Harm asked.

"There aren't any waves in Arizona, Harm. And when I was abroad I never had the time to learn."

"When I was a kid I used to plan my day around surfing over the summer. Mom used to plan dinner around what time the tide shifted."

"And all this time I thought you played football. Let me guess. Quarterback?" Mac teased.

"Running back, actually. I never surfed for the school team because they don't allow you to compete outside of school meets and tournaments. You played sports in high school didn't you?"

"No. It's too bad they didn't have volleyball for our generation."

"Oh my God…I need to call Mattie's school and tell them she won't be coming back. I'll need a copy of her transcript too. I can't believe I forgot to do that."

"You've had a lot to do these last few days. Besides, if Mattie were living at home right now you would have remembered."

"I wish she didn't have to stay at the hospital."

"You wish she hadn't left in the first place."

"Tom was doing so well, Mac. Once he got sober and they worked things out…You should have seen the way her face would light up when he'd come to visit. She was so happy they were moving back to their house."

"Hey…Tom drinking again is not your fault."

"I know. I guess I just feel that maybe she'd be better off now if I hadn't pushed her so hard then. The aviation books, the flying lessons…"

"Harm don't do this to yourself. Mattie has jet fuel in her blood just like you do. It's not like you could have talked her out of any of it. You said yourself Mattie let go of a lot of her anger and grief when she reconciled with her father. She knows she has people in her corner who won't let her down. If I'd had someone like you looking after me when I was that age I would have turned out a lot better."

Harm scanned her body slowly with his eyes. "I think you turned out perfectly." He kissed her, but felt her tense. "What?"

Mac turned away from him. "Stop it."

"Mac? Hey, come on." When she still didn't answer, it suddenly occurred to him what the problem was. He rationalized to himself it was perfectly logical that he didn't think of it right away. They hadn't discussed it since the Admiral's dining out party. "Just because..."he struggled to word it properly, "Because you have an illness doesn't make you less beautiful or less special to me. You know that right?"

"I'd be a lot more special if I could have kids."

Harm scooted closer and wrapped his arm around her. "We never did finish that conversation, did we?" Mac shook her head.

"There's no point, Harm."

Harm furrowed his brow. "You don't want to have kids anymore?"

Mac faced him. "Of course I do. It's just…it's going to be next to impossible for me to get pregnant."

"How impossible?"

"The doctor said my chances of getting pregnant are less than five percent."

"Sounds like a four percent solution to me."

"Harm, it's so miniscule --"

"Less than five, but not zero, right?"

"Yes."

"All we can do is try. One way or another we can make it happen. I promise."

"Don't make a --"

"I haven't yet…All we have to do is practice." He kissed her ardently.

"It won't be easy."

Harm chuckled. "When have we ever done anything the easy way?"

"What did I do to deserve you?"

"I ask myself the same question everyday."

THE END


End file.
